Puzzle



I. L. HOFFER.

PUZZLE. 7

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, 1919.

1 35 1 384; Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

Z. 1;. Ila/far.

UNITED STATES- I IVAN L. Herrera, or Martens, wrisrrrive'rolv.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1920- Application filed October 11, 1919. Serial No. 329,998."

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVAN L. HOFFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marcus, in the county of Stevens and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to puzzles and more particularly to that type which oomprises wire members which are initially interengaged and which are to be separated in solving the puzzle and it is one object of the invention to provide a puzzle of this type which while extremely simple in its construction and general appearance, will prove comparatively difficult of solution so that notwithstanding its simple and inexpensive nature, it will in its solving prove highly interesting and amusing.

Another object of the invention is to pro-. vide a puzzle one of the members of which may be modified so as to constitute an advertising medium so that when so modified the puzzle will prove of value as it will not be discarded as are many advertising mediums, but will be handled and inspected .many times and by many individuals.

Inthe accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, the members comprising the puzzle being interengaged and in the negative positions which they should first be caused to assume in solving the puzzle;

Fig. 2 is a similar "view illustrating the second position which the members must be caused to assume;

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the third and final-position to be assumed by the members immediately prior to theirseparation Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modifiedform of one of the members;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating another modified form of this member; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating still another modification of one memberof the .puzzle.

As before stated, the puzzle embodying the invention is of that type comprising two wire members which are initially interen-. gaged and which are to be separated in solvportant and may be left to the'fjudgment of the manufacturer as may also the question of size of the members in. general. y The strand of wire from which the member 1 of the puzzle is formedis bent to form what may for convenience sake be considered as two coils one indicated by thenumeral 3' and the other by the numeral .4,

these coils lying side by side and being slightly spaced, as for example a distance equal to the diameter of the wire from which the members of the puzzle are formed. The end portions of the strand of wire from which this member is formed are brought together along converging lines as indicated by the numeral 5 and are intertwisted as indicated by the numeral 6 so as to provide a stem or handle which may be grasped for the purpose of holding this member stationary in solving the puzzle, as will be presently explained.

The strand of wire from which the ineinher 2 of the puzzle is formed is likewise bent between its ends to form two coils one indicated by the numeral 7 and the other by the numeral 8, which coils are substantially identical with the coils 3 and 4. In the instance of this member, however, the end portions of the strand of wire from which it is formed are disconnected from each other and are extended in spaced parallel relation to form arms indicated the numeral 9, these arms being tangential to the coils 7 and'8.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawingsillustrate what will probably constitute the preferred and is caused to assume about the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings with relation to the said member 1. .Holding the member 1 stationary throughout the solution of the puzzle, the member 2 is moved upwardly and toward the left in Fig. 1 so that the portion which is indicated in the drawings by the numeral 10 and which is;

common to the two coils and 8 will pass between the coil 3 and l of the member 1, looping in the coil 3 in the manner shown in Fig. 2. In this position of the member 2 with relation to the member 1, one of the arms 9 of the member 2will engage the near side of the loop 3 and the other arm of the said member 2 will. transsect the portions 5 of the member 1 substantially at the lower side of the coils 3 and l. Having brought the member 2 to the position above described and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the said member 2 is pulled toward the right in Fig. 2, the coil 8 being directed to pass the near side of the coil 8 of the member 1 and the related portion 5 thereof until. the member 2 assumes the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In this position the coils 7 and 8 of the said member 2 will be located at the near side of the coil 3, and the portion 5 of the member 1 which extends from the coil 3 thereof will extend between the coils 7 and 8. vVith the parts in this position their separation may be readily effected by again moving the member 2 toward the left thus lifting the arm 9 which extends from the coil 8 out of engagement through the opening defined by the coils 3 and 4 of the member 1.

In the form of the invention above specifically described, the coils 3 and lof the member 1 and the coils 7 and 8 of the member 2 are pitched in one direction but if desired the coils of the members may be given a pitch or direction the reverse of that shown in the figures illustrating the above described form. Fig. 6 illustrates one of the members thus modified.

While the element 6 is intended primarily as a stem or handle, the solution of the puzzle may be rendered more diflicult and confusing by forming this stem of a length such that, its extremity will barely clear the portion 10 common to the loops 7 and 8 of the member 2 when the upper sides of these loops are engaged in the crotch between the portions 5 of the said member 1. Of course this proportioning of the parts does not in any way vary the method of procedure in solving the puzzle as above described but merely serves to mislead one attempting to solve the puzzle. On the other hand, the arms 9 will both be of such a length that neither may pass, at its extremity, the crotch between the portions 5 of the member 1 in any relative position of the members.

Fig. 4 01 the drawings illustrates a slight modification of the member 1 to adapt the rticle to serve the purpose of an advertising medium and in this modification a tag 11 of metal, celluloid, or any other suitable mate-.

rial is permanently connected with the member 1 by passing one of the portions 5 of the said member through an opening 12 in the tag prior to twisting together the extremities otthe said portions 5 to form the stem 6, this tag being of course designed to bear the desired advertising matter.

Fig. 5 of the drawings illustrates another modification of the member 1 to adapt the article for use as an advertising medium, and

in this form of the invention the portions 5, instead of being brought together along converging lines and having their end portions twisted together, are extended parallel to each other as clearly shown in the said figure and a plate 13, of metal or any other suitable material, is disposed to span the space between these arms and has its lateral edge portions turned about or otherwise permanently secured to the arms as indicated by the numeral 14:, this plate being designed of course to bear the advertising matter.

While as stated above and as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the member 1 may have its coils 3 and 4 pitched the reverse of the coils 7 and 8 of the member 2, this modification will of course apply equally well to the said member 2 inasmuch as the coils 3 and 4t of the member 1 may take the direction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the coils 7 and 8 of the said member 2 may take the reverse direction. Also the coils of both members may take a direction the reverse of that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

It will be understood that it will prove as diflicult for one to effect union of the members of the puzzle as to ei'l'ect separation of the members and considerable amusement might be had by furnishing with each pair of correctly formed members capable of. being separated and reunited, a third member corresponding for example to the member shown in Fig. 6 and having its-coils pitched in a direction the opposite to those of the member 2, this odd member corresponding to the member 2 and the correctly formed member 2'being given to a person with instructions to unite the members which is, of course, an impossibility, and then after he has failed, the correctly formed member 1 may be surreptitiously substituted for the reversoly coiled member and the parts rapidly united in tullview of the one to whom the parts were originally given.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A puzzle comprising a member having spaced coils and arms extending therefrom and mutually united at their extremities, and a second member having spaced coils and arms extending therefrom and mutually disconnected, the arms of the second mentioned member being of too great a len th to permit of their passage between the arms of the first mentioned member and of their extremities past the connection between the connected extremities of the said arms of the first men tioned member in any relative position of the' IVAN L. HOFFER. L s.] 

